Bye Bye Paci

The pacifier...that wonderful little tool that helps your newborn sleep at night, your infant fall asleep anywhere, your baby stop crying when they get hurt, your toddler cuddle with you...yes, that amazing little paci, that you one day have to take away. 

Well that day for us has come. Harper turned 18 months old a couple weeks ago and this past Friday the pacifiers went bye bye. 

Harper has always been so amazing with every change that has come her way. She weaned herself from nursing a week after her first birthday, she used a bottle sometimes when I pumped without a problem, she took to any kind of sippy cup right away and she has always slept perfectly for naps and night time. I just had a feeling that this paci thing was going to be our first real difficult transition. 

In the last few months she has become more attached to her paci than she ever was. Whenever she had one in her mouth she had to have another in her hand to play with. 

I decided to wean her now because I want her to be completely done with it by the time the baby arrives so that she doesn't want to have hers constantly like the baby will. Also, she talks so much and pushes it to the side of her mouth to talk sometimes and I don't want it to affect her speech. Lastly, I found in some of my research that the constant sucking can change the shape of their mouth and teeth. 

I was talking to another mom one day and she said that when she took her kids pacifiers away she cut off the tip of it rather than just taking it away completely, this way they loose interest when their sucking doesn't seem the same as before. 

So Friday afternoon after her nap I cut the ends off her two pacifiers. When bedtime came that night and she asked for them she laughed when she saw them and stuck them on the ends of her fingers. She looked a little confused and then cried for 7 mins when I left the room. 

I was so happy and thought that it was going to be smooth sailing. Boy was I wrong. Nap times have been terrible. She alternates from crying hysterically to talking to herself for about 45 mins before falling asleep for a MUCH shorter nap than usual. 

I think bedtimes have been easier since it's pitch black in her room and she has no choice but to fall asleep. Whereas with the naps it isn't as dark and is taking much longer! 

We are on day 4 of this and I am hoping it gets better soon. It's so sad and I know she misses them and we are all a little worn out!

Any suggestions or encouragement- bring it on!